Peer-reviewed article

Effects of a “care for child development” model intervention on neurodevelopment and ASQ scores in high-risk infants

Ting Yu, Tianze Ding, Yu Zhang, Shiwei Ai · 1 Mar 2026

Abstract

Family nurturing is increasingly recognized as critical for improving the prognosis of high-risk infants. However, evidence supporting the effectiveness of targeted nurturing care interventions remains limited. This study aimed to explore the effects of care for child development counseling and nurturing care group activities on the developmental outcomes of high-risk infants, as well as their applicability in clinical management. In total, 102 high-risk newborns were allocated using a quasi-random alternation method to either an intervention group ( n = 51), which received both interventions, or a control group (n = 51), which received only routine follow-up care. The primary developmental outcomes were assessed using the Infant Neurological International Battery (INFANIB) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) when the infants were between four and six months of age. The intervention group showed significantly higher median [IQR] total INFANIB scores than the control group (70 [64–72] vs. 66 [59–70]; P = 0.004). Furthermore, the intervention group exhibited significantly higher scores in all five ASQ domains (all P < 0.001), including communication (50 [45–60] vs. 45 [35–50]), gross motor (50 [40–55] vs. 35 [20–45]), fine motor (40 [30–50] vs. 30 [20–40]), problem-solving (45 [35–57.5] vs. 35 [25–40]), and personal-social (45 [37.5–55] vs. 40 [25–42.5]). These findings suggest that childcare development counseling and nurturing care group activities can effectively enhance the neurodevelopmental and cognitive abilities of high-risk infants. This integrated model promises an effective strategy for promoting early development in this population and should be considered for inclusion in routine follow-up programs.